Three years after his maiden Dakar success, Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Team/ Michelin) finished on top again to earn Michelin’s 36th victory on the cross-country classic, as well as KTM’s 18th on the trot in association with the French tyre firm. The Australian finished clear of his team-mate and last year’s victor Matthias Walkner, while Sam Sunderland (Red Bull KTM Factory Team/Michelin) made it an all-KTM/Michelin top three.

After winning last season’s visit to Marrakech, Mahindra Racing finished on top again this time around thanks to Jérôme d’Ambrosio who was joined on the podium by Envision Virgin Racing’s Robin Frijns and Sam Bird. Antonio Felix da Costa tangled late in the race with his BMW I Andretti Motorsport team-mate while leading, and defending champion Jean-Eric Vergne (Techeetah) span at the race’s first turn.

FIA WEC - Toyota and Michelin win in rainy Shanghai

FIA WRC - Sixth WRC title for Ogier and Toyota’s fourth, all with Michelin

The N°7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid/Michelin of Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez and the N°8 sister car of Buemi/Alonso/Nakajima collected another one-two finish for the Japanese make in the FIA WEC as torrential rain greeted teams to Shanghai, China. Michelin scored its 50th LM GTE Pro class victory in the championship with the N°95 Aston Martin (Sorensen/Thiim).

One-two success at home for Toyota!

Toyota Gazoo Racing took a predictable win at Fuji Speedway, Japan, on Sunday. Top prize went to the N°7 TS050 Hybrid/Michelin of Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez, while Buemi/Nakajima/Alonso (N°8) made it a one-two finish for the Japanese squad on home soil. Porsche/Michelin came first in both LM GTE classes.

Despite starting last in the LMP1 order, the crew of the N°7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid successfully picked off its rivals one by one to secure its first victory of the 2018/2019 FIA WEC campaign. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose-Maria Lopez posted consistently quick times (fastest race lap: Lopez/1m25.603s) to earn Toyota Gazoo Racing’s sixth win at the Fuji International Speedway.

Wet conditions saw Japan’s WEC encounter get underway behind the safety car, with the majority of Michelin’s partners running on rain tyres. Ten or so laps into the race, however, there was a rush for the pits to fit intermediate rubber (Michelin’s ‘Hybrid’ slick in the case of the LM P1 prototypes) before everyone switched to slicks when the conditions dried. The mixed weather meant Michelin’s entire range of endurance racing tyres was used.

The battle for third place essentially opposed the Rebellion and SMP Michelin-equipped non-hybrid prototypes. After problems for both teams (the N°3 Rebellion crashed out and the N°11 SMP prototype was delayed by an alternator belt problem), the final podium position ended up in the hands of Jani/Lotterer/Senna in the N°1 Rebellion/Michelin (+4 laps).

In LM GTE Pro, there was another epic battle opposing every one of the five makes involved in the class. The pole-winning N°95 Aston Martin/Michelin led early on in the wet but, as the racing line dried, first place became the property of the N°82 BMW/Michelin, then the N°71 Ferrari/Michelin and, ultimately, the N°92 Porsche/Michelin. The 911 RSR of Kevin Estre/Michael Christensen crossed the line 12 seconds clear of the N°82 BMW (Blomqvist/Da Costa) which collected the German make’s best result to date. The N°67 Ford/Michelin and N°51 Ferrari/Michelin were third and fourth.

Round 1 of the 2018/2019 Formula E Championship in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, was won by Antonio Felix da Costa. The Portuguese BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver was joined on the podium by Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah/Michelin) and Jérôme d’Ambrosio (Mahindra Racing/Michelin).

A number of key decisions were taken at the FIA World Council meeting that was held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on December 5. Many of them referred to some of the global championships in which Michelin is active, namely the WEC, WRC and Formula E.

After claiming the season’s opener in Qatar, Andrea Dovizioso concluded the 2018 MotoGPTM World Championship with victory in Valencia. The Italian was unfazed when the race was red flagged due to heavy rain and he went on to finish clear of Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR/Michelin) and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing/Michelin).